Day of the Show

It was an enjoyable day, and I learned very much about what the judges want to see at a horseshow.

07:00 : Get out of bed, slog down into the shower
07:20 : Find white gloves, sponge, white bellboots and white boots that I borrowed Friday
07:55 : Frantically find out I am going to be late, pull a brush through my hair, run out to the biycle and cycle off madly to the boarding barn
08:05 : Arrive at the boarding barn, braid a forelock, calm down two parents, hand out my mane elastics to anyone and anybody
08:15 : Remeber why I arrived so early: Helper's Breakfast :)
08:35 : Struggle with the worlds fattest and most stubborn fjord, change saddelcloths twice, retrieve him from the neighbours stall thrice, think of sending him to the butcher four times, but persevering and sending a happy boy off with his fjord to the w/t group class.
08:55 : Getting a phone call that I am very much wanted over in the arena, nobody can gather themselves to write for the judge, so I scoot on over.
09:03 : Still no judge. People are sent out to search for her, and call her..
09:05 : Lis, a very experienced rider, steps in and judges the two pony w/t classes. She is wonderfully lax with her points, the kids love it, and though we see some horrible riding some kids are really good. One of my protegees win on a lesson horse, and I am tickled pink.
10:01 : The judge hurries in. She believed she was booked for Dec. 24 - and I am not surprised, the woman who booked her is, well, a leeeeetle confused at the best of days.
10:02 : The father of the girl who placed 2'nd in the w/t class comes in complaining that there was no deducting of points from the winner, because she had help in remembering the pattern. Judge is polite, says no, the class was written out "With or without help", gets him out of the judging house, and gave him the biggest, baddest fuckfinger when he left. I officially love her now...
10:35 : I remember I have a horse too, and that he is out in the field, all dirty and "horsey", and that I am supposed to have an immaculately groomed horse all warmed up and ready to go exactly at noon. Oops!
10:45 : I try to dodge my way around the barn with two horses at once - Cargos pasturemate and Cargo. Pluto gets taken off of my hand, so I position Cargo, all ready to be groomed.
11:25 : STRESS. Everybody wants and/or needs my help, and my horse is only halfway braided. I must remember spurs, white gloves, white boots and bellboots, white saddlepad and and and.
11:35 : I am finally in the arena, ready to warm up. A friend of mine came running with spurs, fleece blanket and white gloves, I had totally forgotten that!
12:00 : Out of the Arena. Wait and wait until the first rider has completed her pattern.
12:07 : I come in. NERVOUS. Cargo did not do good at the warm-up, and I know it is because I am very nervous, and he is not completely comfortable either, so he is stiff and will not bend or anything, its head up and back down and run run. I think about scratching, but nah. We ride an OK pattern, except for the two things I was unsure about. They suck.
12:15 : Results in, I am second of three. I am bitter, because I was one point behind the winner, and that girl got help even though the class was not written out for help to be given to the participants. I walk around being angry for a bit, and then lighten up when I remember the angry daddy in the judges house. Nope, not sinking quite as low as him! I accept my score.
12:45 : Oh wait, there is free dinner for the helpers from 11:30 to 13:00. I better hurry - and get asparagus soup. Yum.
12:59 : Walk out to my horsey, caress him a bit, suck up the last of the bitterness, and resolves NEVER to go to a show again!
13:20 : Writing for the judge again. This time it is another judge, a very nice one too. We had an absolute blast. She explained to me what she thought was good and bad, in more words than the short resume on the critique.
14:43 : The kitchen sent up a giant plate of sweets for the judge, the secretary and me.
15:30 : I have learned SO much about what the judges want to see at a show, and what a show is for, and how much you an learn if you have a good judge who will explain his/her judgings. I almost had a cramp from all the writing I did on other peoples critiques! I resolved to start lots of shows, and get really good at it!
16:40 : Finished. I throw on my sweater, the warm coat, pick all the trash that is spilling out of my tack locker, kiss my horse goodnight and hurry home in the dark.

Good day - and Cargo was a sweetheart. He really was. We could even walk around the parked cars, and I walked him a bit out on the road. I am optimistic that we'll be trail profis in the spring instead of just always being in the arena. He was just anxious, I was anxious, and had a far too tight grip on his head. Poor Cargo. But in the spring there is another show at our place, and I want to show w/t/c, two classes.

But next adventure for Cargo and I is to get a saddle fitter out. Its needed. The saddle that was supposedly fitted for him fits like crap!